JPvZ

I have a frustrating problem with milky white/blue cloudy water for the last 2-3 weeks. The tub is was refilled ~1 month ago, been used maybe 3 times. I am using the dichlor bleach method, and switched to bleach recently (~3weeks ago). Water became cloudy, and will not go away despite super-chlorination, MPS, and filter changes (using a disposible micron filter). My current water parameters are as follows: - Free Chlorine: 3.96 ppm - Total Chlorine: 4.27ppm - Combined: 0.3ppm - pH: 7.8 - Hardness: 150ppm - Alkalinity: 40ppm - CYA: ~30ppm - Cu/Fe: 0ppm - TDS: 750ppm The Alkalinity is low, but I had recently had it within range (110pm), but came down - Hot tub store said that would happen with large doses of chlorine, and I had just added ~8ppm a few days prior). I will adjust back up, but am certain I will not see the cloudy water clear up, as it was within range recently with no effect on clarity. Water flow is good through the filter. I don't want to add a clarifier as I am using a micron filter, which will become plugged if I use one. Plus the micron filter should take care of any particles the clarifier + standard filter combo would. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm about to pull the plug on this fill and restart - but I would really like to understand what went wrong in case it happens again. Thanks in advance! JP 350G Yukon polar spa

Thanks, I'm familiar with it. But it doesn't address what to do if FC drops to zero... which I'm sure has happened to people on numerous occasions.

I currently use my hotub once every few week (been busy ). I currently use dichlore exclusively as my chlorine source. I try to get out to the tub every few days to check on it and add chlorine as necessary, but sometimes I miss a few days and when I check it, the chlorine level may be 0ppm (oops!). In this case, what should I do? When this happens, I typically add a bunch of dichlor (1.5-2X my normal dose - I err on the high side), along with a couple of cap fulls of non-chlorine shock (added at the same time - that ok?). Will this make my water safe for use? I would think it would kill anything that happened to grow pretty quickly - could I use the tub within 15mins? Thanks in advance!

The heating light stays on all the time - could just the low-flow pump for the heater keep the tub at 103F w the lid on? Can the parts be replaced without draining the tub? Thanks for your response.

Hi, I have a 1998 Arctic Yukon tub. Recently, I noticed that the water temperature was dropping in my tub while in use. Putting the cover (its new) back on, the temperature slowly gets back to the set point (24hr+), but will drop quickly if the cover is off (a degree drop in <15mins). Flow seems to be good in the tub, and the temp drops when the jets are on high. Also I've been using the "silver sentinel" filter (1month old), so I haven't been using that liquid scale prevention treatment (filter packaging said it wasn't necessary with a micro filter). Could scale have built up on the core causing heating trouble? Any way of checking? Any one have this trouble? Is my heater breaking down? Any ideas would be appreciated!

Does anyone use the Silver Sentinel filter (from Arctic Spas I beleive)? I'm now wondering if my filter is not working and needs changing. How can I tell if the sivler sentinel filter is done and needs replacing? I was told they last ~2-3months. My problem is as follows: I have had my tub running for ~1month now with a relatively low bather load (2 people twice a week for ~45mins), an use dichlor as my sanitizer. I am now seeing really cloudy water. I shocked the water with MPS with no result, so I shocked with dichlor (>10ppm) and again saw little improvement. I added some SpaClear stuff to clear the cloudyness, and it created a lot of white goop, but didn't clear the water much. The pH was 7.2 so I put a bit of spa ph up, with no improvement. Alk and hardness are within range. Any advice would be much appreciated!

I was thinking that at a certain point, heat loss from the tub itself and the shell-cover interface would begin to dominate and a thicker cover wouldn't necessarily be that benefitial. I'm planning on getting a cover lifter, so weight shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'm still undecided given that the tub is 12 years old, so I'm not so exciting about putting alot of money into it. Thanks everyone for commenting! This forum has been incredibly helpful.

Is the upgrade of an extra inch really worth it for a spa cover (e.g. 4-3" to a 5-4")? I've heard it doesn't make enough of a difference to warrant the extra expense (except in strength, which is not an issue for me), even in a cold climate. Does anyone have any comments on this?

For peace of mind, you may want to consider having your local spa shop come out and winterize your spa - provided they guarantee the winterization. This is what I did last winter, and it cost only ~$100. Given the time it would take me to do it to the point of confidently knowing nothing will freeze, it's was worth the price. As part of the winterization, they injected pink antifreeze throughout the plumbing. The baking soda suggestion is a very good one.

I just noticed that costco.ca sells hot tub covers from HST synthetics. Seems like a good deal ($~100 cheaper than the cheapest I can find online), with the only concern being that they use only 2mm poly wrap for the foam, rather then 4mm. Big deal? Is HST a reputable brand compared to Merlin, or Arctic for that matter? Now I wonder, is it really worth it to upgrade to 5"-4" tapered cover for the addition R value (load bearing is not an issue for me) ...

If you can get a Merlin cover or one made by Sunstar you will be happy. Merlin also has one for harsh cliamates that you can walk on. Your cover should have at least 3-2 taper edge 2lb density foam 4 mil vapor wrap http://www.merlinindustries.com/SpaCovers.html http://www.sunstarcovers.com/sunstarcovers_com/www/ In my opinion these are the best two cover companies to deal with. Thanks, I can't order directly from them right? I couldn't find price or order info...

I'm in need of a new hot tub cover as mine is getting heavy and has a sagging underside. I live in Canada, so I need something that can stand up to extreme cold. I have an 7' arctic yukon spa, and was quoted $700 from the dealer (canada). Searching the net, I saw many alternatives for cheaper - but I wonder about the quality. I searched the forum and found surpisingly little info on covers (what feature are really needed), or recommended vendors. "The Cover Guy" seems to be the best, but I have found various posts of both extremely unhappy and happy customers. those reviews are from a 2-3 years ago, so I'm wondering what the more recent take is - are the happy people unhappy now after a few more years? Any advice or vendor recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

I was told today that that the person or people at Arctic that probably have this are on vacation this week, so I wont have an answer until next week. If I get a emailable copy, I will forward it to you both. Any luck?

Spa flush first, drain, then chlorine. Spa flush will help remove stuff from in the lines ect, but will not decontaminate. Chlorine decontaminates. I have to drain again after the super chlorination? To be more specific, I can't run spa flush and super chlorinate in the same water... and then drain?

Spa flush first, drain, then chlorine. Spa flush will help remove stuff from in the lines ect, but will not decontaminate. Chlorine decontaminates. I have to drain again after the super chlorination?